Loker Will Get TV Lounge, Couches

Addition Expected Within Two Months

In an ongoing effort to revive dwindling undergraduate use of Loker Commons, members of the Memorial/Lowell Hall Advisory Committee announced yesterday the upcoming addition of a television lounge complete with a 33" TV and couches.

The lounge will be located in the front room of Loker that currently houses a flower shop and a book swap. Both the flower shop and the book swap will be relocated to other parts of the complex.

The changes come in response to what Loker consultant Kathleen I. Kouril '82 called "overwhelming response" in favor of more social spaces on the recent College-wide Loker survey.

"In every category [asking about televisions in Loker], the people in favor of it overwhelmingly outnumbered those who didn't want it," said Kouril, a former Crimson editor.

The final results of the survey will be released Friday, she said.

The survey garnered a 10 percent response rate, according to Eric C. Engel, the director of the Memorial/Lowell Hall Complex.

Lamelle D. Rawlins '99, the president of the Undergraduate Council, said she was optimistic about the results of the survey.

"[Ten percent] is really high, especially since it was such a lengthy survey," said Rawlins.

However, the results may not be an accurate gauge of student opinion, Engel said.

"It still means that 90 percent of students did not respond. There is still this great unknown out there, who might be ambiguous about the changes to Loker," Engel said. "That's a good reason for moving forward one step at a time."

The approximate cost of the TV and couches will be less than $8,000, according to Kouril. Although College officials have not made the final decision on purchases, Engel estimated that the changes would be implemented in four to seven weeks.

However, several members of the Loker Committee expressed concern about limited space in the lounge.

The floor plan of Loker is not conducive to TV viewing, Kouril said.

"Everyone agrees it's too small. But everyone agrees that this is just a first step," she said. "There aren't that many places that can accommodate a TV viewing area... That's not to say this idea won't expand. There may be more couches coming."